grizzly bear

noun

: a very large brown bear (Ursus arctos) of northwestern North America

Note: The grizzly bear is the same species as the brown bear, but grizzly bear is typically used for the North American brown bear and not the European or Asian brown bear. In the U.S., grizzly bear is most often used for a brown bear of inland habitats (as in Montana and western Canada) that is typically smaller than coastal brown bears and usually has lighter-colored tips on the fur. The grizzly bear is often considered a subspecies (Ursus arctos horribilis) of the brown bear and, especially formerly, a separate species (Ursus horribilis).

The brown bears of Kodiak Island, the grizzly bears of the Rocky Mountains and interior Alaska, the European brown bear, all are now considered to be the same species, Ursus arctos, despite tremendous variation in color, size, and habits.

—Natural History

called also grizzly

Examples of grizzly bear in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The bear species is protected under the Endangered Species Act in most of the United States, but grizzly bears have reached recovery levels in some ecoystems, including the Northern Continental Divide and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystems. —Kerry Breen, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2025

As Lee, Maddy stalks the set like a grizzly bear, roaring with rage, belching his way through numerous cans of beer, standing on chairs and massacring a typewriter. —Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Mar. 2025

Spivak of the Center for Biological Diversity said logging on public lands risks polluting water and threatens the more than 400 species protected under the Endangered Species Act that rely on national forests, including grizzly bears, spotted owls and wild salmon. —Laura Paddison, CNN, 6 Mar. 2025

How Fast Can a Polar Bear Run? Polar bears have evolved to survive much colder temperatures than black bears and grizzly bears. —Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 21 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1791, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for grizzly bear

• aftercare
• anywhere
• billionaire
• chinaware
• debonair
• dinnerware
• disrepair
• doctrinaire
• earthenware
• everywhere
• frigidaire
• kitchenware

Kids Definition

grizzly bear

noun

: a large powerful brown bear found from the lower 48 to Alaska